Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (44) against the Chicago Cubs in the second inning during a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

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December is traditionally cold and bitter in the Midwest, but the Hot Stove seems to have warmed up the city of St. Louis. The Cardinals jumped the trade market ahead of the GM meetings in Las Vegas next week, sending pitcher Luke Weaver, catching prospect Carson Kelly, minor leaguer Andy Young, and a supplemental draft pick to the Arizona Diamondbacks for All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

Not only did the Cards upgrade their roster in a tight NL Central, but they did so by giving up little more than their fifth-best starting pitcher and a catcher that was stuck behind the massive shadow of Yadier Molina. It must be pointed out that Goldschmidt is a free agent after 2019, and he will certainly be looking for a large raise over the $14.5 million that St. Louis will pay him next season. So, if ownership isn't willing to pony up, it would be a one-and-done situation. But let's not look so far ahead just yet.

The Cardinals had eight different players collect a plate appearance while serving as their first baseman in 2018. In regards to third base, five players made at least one plate appearance. And in the case of both positions, two players collected at least 300 plate appearances. At first, the two were José Martinez (350) and Matt Carpenter (310). At third, they were Jedd Gyorko (310) and Carpenter (307).

Acquiring Goldschmidt might bring a bit more stability to the constant rotating at the infield corners the last few years. Although he's certainly better at first than he is at third, Carpenter will clear out of the way for Goldschmidt, a three-time Gold Glover. This could mean that Gyorko is on the trade block, but if that's the case he shouldn't be too hard to move. The 30-year-old is a solid power bat, having posted a 111 OPS+ and 61 homers over the last three years, and would only be owed $9 million by whichever team acquired him.

Outside of defensive stability, Goldschmidt brings legitimacy to a lineup that badly needed it. Carpenter had an outstanding season at the plate, hitting 36 home runs and posting a team-best 143 OPS+ in 2018. But outside of Martinez, whose defense makes him difficult to keep in the everyday lineup, no other regular Cardinal had an OPS+ over 110. Dexter Fowler, Paul DeJong, Marcell Ozuna, and Kolten Wong were collectively underwhelming at the plate.

With both former manager Mike Matheny and current manager Mike Schildt being stunningly reluctant to move Carpenter out of the leadoff spot, the middle of the batting order was often soft and easy to navigate. Carpenter, who batted first 115 times for the Cards in 2018, was walked 102 times by opposing pitchers. Of those 102, 17 were intentional. But the formula has been completely changed.

Goldschmidt is one of the elite hitters in the game, and has been for some time. The 31-year-old has played in at least 145 games in six of the last seven seasons, and only once during that time-span has he failed to hit at least 20 home runs – he hit 19 in just 109 games played in 2014. Goldy owns a career OPS+ of 145 to go along with a slash line of .297/.398/.532.

Some of that could be explained by hitting in a hitter-friendly home park in Arizona, not to mention often playing against the divisional rival Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. But for his career, Goldschmidt doesn't have drastic home and road splits. Sure, he may have a career OPS of 1.023 in 289 plate appearances at Coors Field, but he also has a .990 OPS in 297 plate appearances at pitcher-friendly AT&T Park.

And now that he's with the Cardinals, it should be pointed out that Goldschmidt has been particularly good at Wrigley Field (1.011 OPS) and Miller Park (1.307 OPS).

That's the key takeaway, and not because it's reasonable to expect that those numbers will translate to success against the Cubs and Brewers in 2019. It's reasonable to expect him to have success against the Cubs and Brewers in 2019 because he's Paul freakin' Goldschmidt. Since he came into the league back in 2011, only six other players have accumulated more WAR than Goldschmidt. Those six are elite names, and several slam-dunk Hall of Famers: Josh Donaldson, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Canó, Joey Votto, Andrew McCutchen, and Mike Trout.

Last season, the Cardinals finished in third place in the NL Central behind the Cubs and the Brewers for the second straight year. They failed to win at least 90 games, which they've now done in three consecutive years. But an 88-74 record is nothing to sneeze at, and adding Goldschmidt fixes one of the Cards' biggest problems.

One move won't completely change the alignment of the division, not when the teams at the top are as talented as Chicago and Milwaukee. But adding Goldschmidt should help St. Louis eliminate some of the ground that previously separated them from their rivals. And while the Cubs and Brewers will also be busy trying to improve their respective rosters this winter, that gets a little harder to do when the footsteps behind you start to get louder.